1. Are We Friends, Or Are We More?

Notes: absolute shit bit of writing but I liked the idea at first and hated myself when I thought about not finishing it,, which is why it's immensely short and ends awfully.

"I just wanna say thank you, for everything you've all done for us and for getting us where we are today. We love you all, and I know the boys would say exactly the same except they've all gone out without me to go thong shopping because Luke's thongs broke, and yeah.. so, bye. Love you!"

Ashton reviewed his keek with a grimace on his face, captioning it with 'Awkwardest keek speech ever' due to his incompetent words. He fell backwards onto his bed with a sigh, eyes subconsciously glancing at the wall clock every other second. To waste time, he decided to look through twitter, not really noticing anything because he was just wishing the time away.

"Be back in a bit, Ash!" Calum's voice came from the floor beneath him, the door shutting not seconds later. Ashton didn’t reply, mainly due to how he thought the boys had already left the house, but mostly because Calum's voice wasn't who he wouldn’t to be hearing right now.

A groan left Ashton's lips as he rolled onto his stomach.

'@Ashton5SOS: Why is it time goes so slowly when you're looking forward to something.'

The front door reopened, but Ashton ignored it. Michael had probably forgotten his phone or something.

"Ashton, she's here!"

At that moment, Ashton wishes he could run faster, because the rate at which his legs were moving just wasn't fast enough for him.

There she was. On her own in the hallway, sitting on top of a small suitcase as she looked around. Bobby.

"Hey." He said, nose brushing against the skin of Bobby's neck as he held her close, arms protectively rubbing over her back.

"Hey Ash." Her breath was warm through the t-shirt on Ashton's chest.

"Look, as much as I appreciate the 'I-haven't-seen-my-best-friend-in-eight-months' welcome, I've just been on a 14 hour flight so I'm rather jet lagged."

Ashton was about to agree with her because of course she'd want to sleep a bit before they got to properly hang out, but Bobby continued.

"I just really need a wee and a drink first."

The two laughed, and Ashton took Bobby's suitcase in one hand, guiding her to the bathroom.

*

"I'm in Calum's room so you can have mine, is that alright? You can have someone else's room if you want, the boys won't mind. They might not be as tidy though."

Bobby smiled slightly worriedly at the blushing boy before her as he rambled on. Why he was blushing, she didn't know. The pair had known each other since they were five; there wasn't anything to be embarrassed about.

"No," Bobby protested, "don't do all of that! I'll just kip on the sofa; I don’t want to deprive you of your bed."

She went to remove her suitcase from where it had been placed on her bed, but Ashton pushed it back down.

"Bob, you're my friend. I want you to have my bed, alright. I've bunked with Cal plenty before, it really makes no difference."

Bobby grimaced at that word. 'Friend'.

*

Days later, with Bobby fully settled into the time zone and having caught up with the four boys and their antics and success since she had last seen them, she found herself on the couch with a play station controller in her hand. Ashton sat beside her, shouting furiously at the TV because Bobby was currently beating him.

"I thought you said Mikey has been practicing with you?"

"He has." Ashton grumbled in reply to Bobby's teasing. He let out a frustrated groan, throwing the controller on the sofa with force, and storming out of the room.

"Do you wanna drink?" Ashton shouted from the corridor. Bobby just sat where she was, amused at the situation.

"Please."

She sighed contently, happy that she got to spend one-on-one time with Ashton, and lolled her head back. Her comfort was soon ruined as her phone vibrated on the arm of the chair, a text from Beth, a friend back in Sydney.

'have you told ash you luuurrrrve him yet? ;)'

She laughed, knowing the question was coming at some point. Her head fell back again, contemplating whether to save herself from a lecture, that she know would consist of the words 'if you don’t tell him soon, he'll just find someone else', and just not text back.

Out of nowhere, the phone was ripped from Bobby hands from behind her.

Shit.

"Who ya texting?" Ashton smiled with a glint in his eye.

"Ash, give me my phone back." Ashton was walking back, but with every step he took, Bobby took one forward. "Ashton, this isn't funny. Just give me my phone back."

Ashton didn't stop walking, waving the phone in the air as he flashed Bobby his shit-eating grin.

"Why? You texting your boyfriend?" Ashton couldn't help the break in his voice as he spoke the last word.

"You and I both know I don't have a boyfriend." The air suddenly became tense. "Please Ash, just give it back." Ashton backed against the wall as Bobby pleaded.

"And why would I do that?"

"Because… you love me?" There wasn't any meaning behind the words, but oh how Bobby wished there was.

Ashton put his finger to his chin, pretending to be seriously contemplating Bobby's words. Bobby just stood there, eyes fixed upon his face.

"Eh, maybe. But you're not getting it back." The crazy grin returned as Ashton slid across the wall to run away. Bobby had slightly predicted this and had already launched herself at him, legs wrapping around Ashton's waist as he fell to the floor, head narrowly missing the wall.

There they lay, faces inches from each other. Bobby's hands held herself up on either side of Ashton's head, her body sitting on his torso. The two just stared at each other, the only sound being their deep breaths mixing.

Bobby saw her chance, so she took it. There were no thoughts that he might not feel or react in the way she would hope. The only thing she thought was that this might be the only chance she would get to kiss him.

She leant down ever so slowly. She didn't want to mess this up, so she subconsciously gave him the opportunity to push her away if he wanted to. It wasn't until she could feel his breath against her lips when she stopped, the smallest sound that wouldn't have been heard if she wasn't so close distracting her.

"Oh my God I am so sorry! I just got really nervous because I thought you were going to kiss me and I really wanted it and I don't know I think I fart when I'm nervous and I didn't mean to it just kind of came out. It's not funny!"

Ashton hadn't even finished the first sentence before Bobby was rolling off of him, almost crying with laughter. Ashton sat up with a huff as Bobby crawled onto the sofa, drinking some of the water that Ashton had previously brought in to try and calm herself down.

"In all my 13 years of knowing you, not once have you ever farted when you're nervous. Been sick maybe, but not farted."

Bobby knelt up on the sofa, leaning forward as she pretended to wipe tears from her eyes on Ashton's shirt.

"Alright, alright, you can stop laughing know." Ashton was still bright red, but couldn't help see the humour in the situation when Bobby was still rolling around.

When Bobby sat back against the arm of the couch, small giggles still leaving her mouth, she just looked at Ashton.

And Ashton looked back.

"Oh come here, you knob."

The mood-killer of Ashton farting added to the amount she had been laughing gave Bobby a new wave of confidence, pulling Ashton towards her as she kissed him. Nothing any normal person would deem special, just a simple lips touching lips. But to Ashton and Bobby, it was the moment they both had been waiting for a long time, unbeknown to the other.

When both simultaneously pulled away, a large smile was plastered on each face.

"Well, at least I didn't fart again." And that set Bobby off laughing once more.

Ashton giggled, actually giggled, against Bobby's lips at Michael's words, kissing her once more before she tried to push him away, only for him to wrap his arms around her tighter.

"Hold up." Everybody turned to look at Luke, who was still stood at the doorway to the kitchen. His mouth wide open. "When did this happen? I thought you fancied that chick you'd known for ages, Ash?"

Calum and Michael groaned and started arguing with Luke, because Bobby is the girl Ashton has known for ages, and how could Luke be oblivious to the sexual tension and affection between the two whenever they were near each other. Ashton just sighed, nuzzling into the crook of Bobby's neck as she licked the remaining chocolate batter off the wooden spoon. Ashton wished the two could stay like this forever; Bobby's new height on top of the counter was perfect for him to be in this position.

"Lucas, just leave." Calum stated, ending the three-way conversation.

"I'm not going anywhere when I know Bob's got chocolate cake in the oven." Cal and Mikey both turned at those words, eyeing the oven and noses going into over drive. They had been too distracted by the revealing of Boshton - or Ashby, it hadn't quite been decided yet - and Luke's idiocy to notice that Bobby was making her infamous chocolate cupcakes, a favourite delicacy of the band.

"Told you they'd like them." Ashton whispered to Bobby. Neither had spoken much since the boys had walked into the room, too caught up in each other, and the chocolate batter-covered spoon.

Michael immediately set his face into a large grin, fluttering his eyelashes in the way he would do like he has an eye twitch, but Bobby jumped straight off the counter, not falling for his silent bribery.

"You either leave me to finish them in peace," she started, waving her wooden spoon at them like a mother scolding a child, "or you help me wash up."

That was all the words of encouragement needed for the three teenage boys, speed walking through the patio door to leave Bobby alone.

"That goes for you too, mister." Ashton pouted, whining at the girl that he wanted to spend more time with her. He didn't care that she still had three weeks before she was due to leave.

"No," Bobby stood her ground, "your friends are back now. Go do friend-y stuff. Or something productive, get a head start on writing or something." Ashton stuck his bottom lip out even further, protesting like a toddler. He only left with Bobby's threat for him to do all the washing up for the next week, plus no cake or cuddles until she left - but the pout didn't leave his face.

Not twenty minutes later, Bobby was balancing two plates in her hands whilst trying to open the heavy studio door with her bum. Having mentally patted herself on the back for completing such a difficult task, she placed the plates on the sound desk and taking a seat next to John. He had popped over to finalise some lyric recording for a finished song for the album. Bobby couldn’t take her eyes off Ashton as he went over his solo; his voice had always been something she was in love with, even before she fell in love with him.

John gave the boys a thumbs-up before turning to Bobby. "They smell really good."

"Here, have one-"

Just as she was about a plate over, eight hands were grabbing at them. 12 cupcakes gone in seconds. As Luke, Michael and Calum each took theirs, a friendly "thanks babe" and a kiss on the cheek was thrown at Bobby before they made their way back into the recording booth. Ashton, being the lovely gentleman he is, put his hand over Bobby's cheek, pulling her into a kiss worthy of her hands wrapping around his neck. She didn't even hesitate to throw her finger to the boys that could be heard making gagging noises from the booth as they kissed - they had been friends long enough.

*

3 weeks passed quickly, and that thought flashed through both Bobby and Ashton's mind as they sat in the airport lounge. Most of it was spent with at least two of the boys in a writing session, but Bobby knew they had tried their best to make sure she had a good time, and she did.

Bobby wasn't one to be overly comfortable with her emotions, but Ashton sort of was, silent tears in a constant stream down his face.

"Stop being such a sap," Bobby says, trying to lighten the mood even just a little bit, "you're home in a week and then on and off for the next two months, It's not like I'm not going to see you for almost another year again."

"I know, but still." Ashton replied, letting his head fall to the side so it lay on top of Bobby's.

"Still."

And when the call came for Bobby's flight, Luke, Calum and Michael all said their goodbyes, with Ashton standing on the side lines. He ended the group hug with a chaste kiss to her cheek and a quiet goodbye, and Bobby, as upset as she internally was, didn’t say anything about it. But when the final call came and she turned to leave, Ashton spun her back round, giving her a more meaningful and long kiss, his way of trying to make up for the next week that he wouldn’t see her. Ashton was sad, very sad, and so was Bobby, but she knew she had to board that plane so kissed him one last time before walking through the doors to the bridge. Ashton watched from his seat.

And a week later, when the boys arrived back in Australia, Bobby was there, waiting for Ashton. And when he saw her, he ran and kissed her like their last goodbye had never happened.